The recovery of Columbia River salmonids requires that a sufficient amount and diversity of habitat opportunity is provided in the estuary to accommodate the full spectrum of stocks and life history types in the basin. To accomplish this, the primary objective of this contract is to increase the diversity, extent, and spatial distribution of habitats capable of supporting multiple salmon ESUs and life history types. With this contract Columbia Land Trust will increase the development, design and construction of on-the-ground habitat restoration actions in the Columbia River Estuary that benefit threatened and endangered salmonid species and help meet biological objectives required under the Columbia River System (CRS) Biological Opinion (BiOp).

Columbia Land Trust will assist the Action Agencies in achieving their specific estuary land protection and restoration goals by working closely with landowners, local, state and federal agencies, providing risk capital through a revolving transaction fund, negotiation capacity, legal expertise and an ability to leverage significant sources of project funding.   Columbia Land Trust has identified and is developing numerous estuary habitat acquisition and restoration projects within priority areas that this project will support.

The project types and actions developed within this contract are largely related to tidal reconnection actions that restore full or near full tidal influence to areas that have been historically disconnected from tidal and fluvial hydrologic processes by levees, roads, dredge material and railroad causeways.  These restoration actions intend to restore such natural habitat forming processes as tidal hydrology, sediment accretion, and the movement of macro-detritus that shape and maintain estuarine wetland habitats.  Specific restoration objectives are:

1) Restore connectivity between river and floodplain, as well as in-river habitats
2) Increase shallow water peripheral and side channel habitats toward historic levels.  
3) Acquire additional properties for future restoration opportunities

Columbia Land Trust will coordinate with and utilize the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership' s Project Review Committee (PRC) for the initial level of scientific review for on-the-ground habitat projects.  The second level of scientific review will be done by the Expert Regional Technical Group (ERTG).